Panathinaikos hands Fenerbahce its first Top 16 loss

There are no more unbeaten teams in the Top 16 after Panathinaikos Athens earned a hard-fought 76-71 victory over visiting Fenerbahce Istanbul and former Greens head coach Zeljko Obradovic in the Game of the Week in the Greek capital on Thursday night. Panathinaikos picked up its fourth consecutive win to improve to 5-3 and at least a share of third place of Group E, while Fenerbahce remains in first place with a 7-1 record. Neither team held a lead bigger than 8 points in this clash. Fenerbahce went up 20-28 in the second quarter, but Panathinaikos answered with an 11-0 run. It was 36-36 at halftime and Fenerbahce had a 42-45 edge in the third, but the hosts quickly regained the lead and never trailed again. Antonis Fotsis hit a pair of big three-pointers in the fourth quarter, and when the visitors came within 72-71 in the final minute, Euroleague debutante Elliot Williams sealed the game. Williams finished with 14 points. Miroslav Raduljica had 13 points and 5 rebounds, Nick Calathes scored 9, while Dimitris Diamantidis contributed with 6 points and 7 assists in less than 20 minutes on the floor. Ekpe Udoh led Fenerbahce with 19 points, 7 rebounds and 3 blocks. Bobby Dixon netted 16, and Jan Vesely collected 12 points and 7 rebounds in defeat.

First quarter: Fener goes in front in early

Vesely opened scoring with a big dunk, and after Williams made free throws, Bogdan Bogdanovic and Dixon hit back-to-back threes to make it 2-8. Raduljica made a put-back for the Greens, but Luigi Datome had an easy driving layup for the visitors. After Calathes and Datome traded jumpers, Calathes drove for a tough layup to get within 8-12. Following a timeout, Ognjen Kuzmic and Udoh traded baskets from close range. Kuzmic added free throws to the Greens' tally, and after Vesely fought his way for a basket inside, Gist drove to the hoop to cut the deficit to 14-16. But before the quarter's end, Dixon nailed a long jumper and Udoh made a pair of foul shots to give Fenerbahce a 15-20 advantage after 10 minutes.

Second quarter: Williams ignites the Greens

Udoh scored inside to start the quarter, but Raduljica made a spin move on the baseline and finished it with a reverse slam. Nikola Kalinic hit a jumper for the visitors, but James Feldeine bettered it with a triple for Panathinaikos. Fenerbahce kept control with Vesely's basket inside and Dixon's long jumper made it 20-28. Raduljica scored from close range. Then Williams scored back-to-back fastbreak dunks – first an alley-oop from Calathes, and then off his own steal – getting the hosts within 2. A triple from Dimitris Diamantidis gave Panathinaikos its first lead, and Calathes scored a fastbreak layup to make it 31-28. Udoh snapped an 11-0 run with a three-point play and then added a pair of fouls shots. MarQuez Haynes hit 3 from the free throw line, before Datome got a shooter's roll on a corner triple for a slim lead. Gist finished scoring in the first half with a close-range basket, making it 36-36 at halftime.

Third quarter: Hosts hold on to slim lead

Baskets were few and far between at the start of the second half. Kuzmic scored a tip-in, and Feldeine stole the ball and raced for a fastbreak dunk. Fenerbahce needed almost three minutes to score before a dunk by Udoh. Dixon followed by driving to the basket and tying the game at 40-40. The scoring picked up midway through the quarter as Gist scored inside after a touch-pass by Raduljica. Udoh hit a mid-range jumper and Bogdanovic a triple, but Calathes drove for a three-point play and tied it at 45-45. After a timeout, Diamantidis and Bogdanovic traded threes. Williams made free throws and Diamantidis fed Raduljica inside for a layup that put the Greens in front again. Raduljica’s dunk after a pick-and-roll with Williams opened a 54-49 margin, but Dixon made free throws and then a driving reverse layup, helping Fenerbahce get within 55-53.

Fourth quarter: Fotsis and Williams make clutch shots

Fotsis made a corner triple in the opening minute of the quarter, but a big Vesely put-back and a triple from Melih Mahmutoglu tied things at 58-58. After a timeout, Feldeine nailed a three for the hosts, then Haynes made 3 free throws following a technical on Coach Obradovic. Diamantidis and Gist hooked up for an alley-oop dunk to open a 66-59 advantage. Following a timeout, Vesely made a pair of free throws, and after a Williams jumper, Mahmutoglu answered with a triple to get Fenerbahce within 4. But Fotsis hit from way downtown and after Raduljica split free throws, the hosts led 72-64. Udoh scored a put-back with two minutes left and had another dunk. Dixon’s transition triple cut it to 72-71 with 52 seconds to go. But on ensuing possession, Diamantidis fed Williams for a layup, and the latter sealed it from the foul line.

Head Coaches

DJORDJEVIC, SASA

Panathinaikos Athens

"I was a very beautiful night with lots of feelings and emotions. This is one of the reasons to be grateful, because we are part of the history of such a big club. I have to underline once again that nights like that are not very usual, so we have to enjoy the atmosphere and the big victory, which helps the team to understand how good we can be. The keys to winning were the fighting spirit and the rebounds we grabbed. We played very good defense against their pick-and-roll and thanks to Nick Calathes, we [limited] Dixon to only 2 assists. Udoh caused us a lot of problems in the first half, but in the second half we played much better defense on him. It is a team victory and I am happy to have it. I believe that the togetherness is the key for the success. After the latest additions, we are a more-athletic and better team and the newcomers will offer us a lot of energy. All of them have very good mentality. Williams made a great effort on both ends of the court, but some of his decisions didn't allow us to have a more-comfortable win, while Haynes who has more experience, played excellent defense."

OBRADOVIC, ZELJKO

Fenerbahce Istanbul

"Congratulations to Panathinaikos for their win tonight. I think that some small details decided the result. I am proud of my players because last week we played four games and they are tired. It is tough for them to keep their freshness and tough for me to make changes. Panathinaikos scored some easy points in the open court, something we didn't stop and also didn't have in our offence. Now we must to find the energy needed in order to play the Turkish League game against Galatasaray. I would like to thank Panathinaikos for their welcome. They are outstanding people and I wish them the best for the future."

Players

WILLIAMS, ELLIOT

Panathinaikos Athens

"It is a great experience to play for the first time in a Euroleague home game. The atmosphere was outstanding and the fans pushed us a lot. Our coach prepared us to play a very good game and we did it against a great opponent. There are many differences between Europe and the United States. Here the game is mainly based on half-court offense, while the Americans
play faster and stronger. I have to learn the systems and get a better knowledge of my team and the conditions here. Regarding the block shot by Udoh, I tried to take advantage of the mismatch, but he stopped me."

RADULJICA, MIROSLAV

Panathinaikos Athens

"It is a very good and important win after a big fight against a tough opponent. We took revenge for our loss in Istanbul and we hope to have more wins and make it to the playoffs. Coach Djordjevic had mentioned the rebounds as a key factor in that game, but the players never do what the coach asks. However we overcame this problem and got the victory. All the players try to give their best, but it is normal to have ups and downs during the season. Three new players are here and we have to help them be part of the team as soon as possible."

FELDEINE, JAMES

Panathinaikos Athens

"After Marquez Haynes and Elliott Williams came here, now we have a totally different team which still needs to make its adjustments, something that was clear in the last two minutes. I am very happy because we beat the only unbeaten team so far and this is a big credit for us. They had outscored us 14-0 in the beginning of the first game and tonight we proved that we are better than that. Now we have four consecutive wins and the road is open. I would like to thank our fans, who are the best in the world."

HAYNES, MARQUEZ

Panathinaikos Athens

"Defense and energy were the keys for us tonight. It is a big victory for Panathinaikos against the only unbeaten team so far. Now we are calm and have the opportunity to improve our performance and to fight for the best possible results."

UDOH, EKPE

Fenerbahce Istanbul

"We played a very good game, but lost our concentration in the crucial moments and that’s why we lost. It’s over, now we have to get prepared for the big game in the Turkish League against Galatasaray."